DISASTERS IN COSTAL AREAS Alain Blancard - Mega Assistance CEO - May 2009 Abstract 150 large cities over 1 M inhabitant are located in coastal areas. New Orleans is one of them. The author shows that most of these large cities are subject to disasters. With the climate changes and the general increase of tourism, disasters will impact thousands of travelers. Hospitals and medical care institution now ask for a proof of payment or leave patients unattended. The author taking the example of Vancouver, BC in Canada, makes an evaluation of the number of tourists potentially impacted by disaster and suggests the creation of an International Catastrophe Center. Calcutta, Bangkok, Vancouver, Shanghai, Guangzhou Guangdong, Nagoya, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, New Orleans… Incredible enchanting cities and tourism magnets with spectacular sights blessed by nature! Inviting Mecca’s for the meeting of minds, international conferences, trade fairs, sporting events of planetary magnitudes, Olympic games, world cups etc etc – confluents of nations at any given time! As if it was the imminent dangers of catastrophes that made these cities more attractive, more charismatic. In February 2010, three billion heads will be turned to Vancouver, a reputable lotus blossom amongst others, and discover the breathtaking sights of the Winter Olympic Games… And yet, all these magnificent cities have been located and erected over the years either on river deltas or within close proximities of such earth formations making them fragile and almost ephemeral because of impending massive catastrophes which will occur, according to expert seismic scientists, at some approaching point in time. It is a known fact that rising temperatures and recent changes in climatic patterns make such zones more and more vulnerable to natural catastrophes. There are more than one hundred and fifty high risk urban agglomerations around the world where populations exceed one million inhabitants. These regions are exposed to severe typhoons and storms, the strength of which increases every season and which cause extensive destruction and loss of lives.… Half a billion people altogether and not amongst the poorest of the planet either, live in these potentially dangerous zones. Daily, tens of thousands of tourists and visitors visit these cities oblivious to the danger hanging above their head. In November 2008, OECD published a paper which points at 135 coastal cities and active harbours, home to more than a million people, and which classifies each city according to their severity risk and exposure to typhoons and storms.(http://www.olis.oecd.org/olis/2007doc.nsf/LinkTo/NT0000588E/$FILE/JT03255617.PDF ) Aside from typhoons and storms, the coastal towns from the list are often particularly subject to other catastrophes like earthquakes for more than half of them with ancillary consequences and damages caused by fires, shortage of drinkable water, interruption of electricity for long periods, damage to gas distribution pipelines, tsunamis for the majority of them, shifting of the continental talus, torrential floods, landslides, shipwrecks. In addition to these catastrophes in coastal areas, there can be mass disasters that can erupt anywhere on the planet: pandemics, explosions, nuclear accidents, plane, train or maritime accidents, terrorism etc. In short, the more attractive the city is, the higher the risk of exposure to catastrophe it carries. All of a sudden, a catastrophe hits and thousands, tens of thousands of tourists become helpless. Assistance networks, usually very reliable and adequate, abruptly become inefficient and almost useless because of a lack of preparedness, logistical synchronization with local authorities, but mostly, because of loss of communication channels and tools. Non-residents and foreigners in need of health care following injury run the risk of being parked for hours in hospital emergency rooms or within proximity of temporary medical dispensaries without care. In several countries, and the list grows everyday, tourists cannot receive medical help unless they can prove that they are able to pay for their care which could cost several thousands of dollars for initial treatment and examinations, imagery etc. How can one validate one’s insurance coverage when one is wounded, one hurts, one is lost, without papers, without credit cards, one struggles in a foreign language and most of all, one has lost all communications with one’s comfort zone and relatives abroad… A very bleak situation and often with tragic outcome. On December 26th, 2004, the large scale Sumatra tsunami made 225 000 known victims of which more than 2 250 were citizens of developed countries (1%) such as Germany, Sweden - more than 500 dead or missing; United Kingdom, Finland – between 100 and 200; France, Switzerland, Norway, Austria – approximately 100; many more came from Italy, Denmark, Japan, Holland, Belgium, Hong Kong, Australia, United States, South Korea, Canada, South Africa… It is reported that assistance response was slow and the first assistance cases could only be adequately treated at least three to four days after the catastrophic tsunami. Without even considering an intense earthquake recorded at force level 9 on the Richter scale which may cause destruction beyond human resources, a far less powerful catastrophe which could occur right in the middle of a busy tourist season or at the peak of a world sports tournament like the Olympics of the soccer world cup, could affect thousands if not tens of thousands of foreigners in an instant. Take Vancouver, for example, and let us put some figures on a potential natural disaster suddenly occurring during the Winter Olympic Games in February 2010. (See table below). We have consulted five experts and have made our own calculations to reach an average. (Note that more accurate or scientific figures may exist elsewhere on the subject. We recommend that these figures be interpreted with caution.) As highlighted in the table, more than 100 foreigners, tourists or travelers may be injured and killed by several potential events. As it is a known fact that, for example, experts hold that an earthquake of force 9 occurs every 500 years in Vancouver, as it is known that during an earthquake, more than half of all destruction and fatalities come from fires, soil liquefaction, and as it is well known that, in Vancouver specifically, a tsunami generating a wave of several meters high, within close proximity of the city centre, is very probable and conceivable, our table therefore (it must be noted that there were three ferry accidents in the last ten years within British Columbia, Canada) is not a simple hypothesis. It is correct to assume with a degree of guarantee that a catastrophe as described in this article will occur in the near future. Imagine a catastrophic event affecting more than 100 foreigners injured or dead receiving almost instant international coverage. Imagine foreigners experiencing difficulties to obtain access to health care leading to inevitable fatalities revealed to the whole world within minutes. This rather recent situation perceived as marginal only a few years ago has now become a reality and almost the norm. There is food for thought now rather than late. What has changed? Why has access to medical care become so difficult for foreigners? What will happen in a country where media is omnipresent and always ready to shoot in every corner, day and night? 1) – The first explanation is the increase in dramatic natural catastrophes around the world. The world population has also grown substantially and tourism, not at all representative twenty five years ago, has grown to substantial and material proportions. More than 100 foreigners in need of assistance and seeking prompt repatriation in any given catastrophe is a very realistic statement nowadays. 2) - With the rapid disappearance of the communism ideology, since 1989, there is a shift away from the model of free universal medical care. Consequently, visitors and foreigners cannot any longer expect free emergency medical help in most places of the world. The collateral of this practice has made it common, whether in developed or under-developed countries, to literally abandon a sick or injured person at the door of a hospital unless satisfactory proof of payment can be provided. 3) - The considerable increase in the cost of medical care and the maximum coverage per case imposed by insurance companies ($ 50 000 to $ 100 000 in many cases, lifetime maximum pay-outs of less than $ 300 000 in other cases) and the considerable efforts of their cost containment agents have made medical providers very cautious and have made it difficult for foreigners to get help. Serious emergencies and major injuries have become quite problematic at the best of times. Furthermore, in cases of current events without abnormal or unusual impact, media coverage can be extensive generating universality of live images in the moment, within seconds of occurrence. It is therefore certain that any catastrophe will be reported and images beamed around the world almost instantly. Recent situations such as the earthquake in Italy, the pirated aircraft in Jamaica, the aircraft which made an emergency landing in Hawaii on a journey from Australia to Vancouver have become world news as the event unfolded. What would the image of a country or a region be, what impact on tourism and what economical impact would images of injured foreigners attending a large event such as sports championships, lining up desperately outside a hospital or a make shift hospital being denied medical care? The detriment to the tourism industry could take years to repair and international business and diplomatic relations will also suffer as a consequence. As this article is being edited, a major world drama is unfolding. A pandemic is in the making. Are the countries of the world ready to face the disastrous fall out of such a situation for displaced citizens who may be prevented from returning home from affected regions? How to create an international crisis group which will care for foreigners? What would be the image of Canada if a major calamity occurred during the Winter Olympics in February 2010? One can imagine a violent earthquake striking the greater Vancouver area or a pandemic like the one looming from Mexico similar to previous ones such as the Avian Flu or SARS touching 40 000 tourists stranded far away from home not to mention the real possibilities of other natural or provoked disasters mentioned earlier in this article. Mega Assistance has first hand experience dealing with catastrophic events: plane accidents, mass repatriations after a major terrorist attack, earthquakes etc. We know that foreigners are always more vulnerable and we have seen displaced tourists lost in the crowds. The problem is immense: Language issues, communication problems with the outside world, emergency medical care, accommodation, contaminated food, repatriation, etc. To complicate the situation further, tourists are not always concentrated in one place and particularly when traveling in large coastal regions where they do move around in a large perimeter and do not agglomerate in urban areas. The cities however, like Vancouver for example, are points of entry and points of departure. Any catastrophic disturbance will inevitably affect large masses of foreigners whether they are close or far from the centre of the cataclysmic event. Mega Assistance has put in place a preparedness program which will, within 24 hours after a catastrophe, witness to positive media coverage, the ability of its clients, insurance companies, assistance companies, to care for their beneficiaries by the implementation of an organized plan and communication protocol. Mega Assistance with its Head Office in Vancouver, a vulnerable coastal city, wishes to widen its realm and share its expertise and experience with foreign diplomatic delegations in Canada as well as approaching Canadian public authorities for the creation of a commission to focus on the specific needs of foreigners, tourists in transit and displaced Canadians from other provinces and territories to find solutions for access to emergency medical care and other local services such as access to communication systems, logistics etc. which will undoubtedly as we know for sure, be very problematic. It is for this reason that Mega Assistance has created an action group to contribute to the development and orderly mobilization of resource and assistance systems which aim to be independent from the usual communications channels. We must be capable of receiving, handling and delivering assistance upon instructions from all over the world at all times. Mega Assistance is an international Assistance Company and by virtue of our mission, our role and in keeping with our acute sense of responsibility in respect to our clients and their beneficiaries, we are well aware that there is a need for an international coordination group capable of managing the problem on a larger scale. Our team is ready and completely willing to bring to the organization for the benefit of all concerned, our expertise, experience and know-how. If, like us, professionals of worldwide assistance, you are interested by the creation of an international catastrophe centre dedicated to the service of displaced tourists and travelers, please contact our company at info@megassistance.com About the Author Alain Blancard has been in the assistance "industry" in the last 25 years. He manages a company, Mega Assistance, which is proud of its 100% successfully managed case ratio. He has experienced and managed several mass assistance operations during disasters and knows what emergency assistance means. Alain Blancard believes that that all actors in the profession could benefit from an International Catastrophe Center.